I'm nostalgic for the physical box and purchase experience so the GTA VI announcement doesn't bother me much. Like you said the writing had been on the wall and this isn't unexpected.

Things that are digital only just don't hit the same to me, but I know I'm weird in that regard. I also worry about the essential monopoly on digital games for console gamers.

C'mon man, it's not that deep.

You give away your rights every time you click on the "I agree" button when signing up for Steam... or when you create your PS account which is a requirement for the console to work... or before you start up any random game in todays world.

New Cars, TVs, everything are using digital services to lock / control the stuff that you paid for. This is not a new concept.

Let them vent and have their moment.

We all know they are waiting for the PS6 to drop, so they can be the first to buy it.

agdoc2001 said:

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FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Sony going all in on digital

https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/

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And I've purchased my last Playstation ever.

The sheer number of yall defending console makers anti-consumer practices suddenly has made it apparent why they feel they can get away with this.

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Inevitable. Physical media for games makes no sense anymore.

I probably won't end up buying another console unless there is a specific Playstation exclusive that I can't live without. And by that, I'm pretty much only thinking about the unlikely Bloodborne 2. Aside from that, I'll just buy a new gaming laptop every other GPU generation.

YouBet said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Sony going all in on digital

https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/

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And I've purchased my last Playstation ever.

The sheer number of yall defending console makers anti-consumer practices suddenly has made it apparent why they feel they can get away with this.

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Inevitable. Physical media for games makes no sense anymore.

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It makes perfect sense, especially for single player games that most people move on from after they've played through once or twice, and for games that just end up not being what you were looking for.

Digital media also makes sense for people who prefer it. I think people should have the choice. Getting rid of the consumer choice was a very bad thing. I say "was" because it's basically already gone. GameStops and similar stores are closing en masse because used games are essentially a thing of the past.

The end result of this for me is that I'm not buying nearly as many games. Even five years ago, I could buy a new game for $60, and if I didn't like it or finished it quickly, I could get $40 trading it back to Gamestop and buy another game. I'm not going to regularly spend $60-$80 on something if I can't meaningfully verify its quality (and my enjoyment of it) first.

Games make way less sense as a digital-only form of media than music or movies.

Why I pay for xbox game pass. 23 dollars a month and I can download about 90% of games, if the game sucks, delete it and move on.

The Ex Officio Director said:

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Why I pay for xbox game pass. 23 dollars a month and I can download about 90% of games, if the game sucks, delete it and move on.

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I used to do that, but most new games I wanted to play were not on there. After a while I found it to be a pretty pathetic value for $25 a month.

AozorAg said:

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YouBet said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Sony going all in on digital

https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/

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And I've purchased my last Playstation ever.

The sheer number of yall defending console makers anti-consumer practices suddenly has made it apparent why they feel they can get away with this.

---

Inevitable. Physical media for games makes no sense anymore.

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It makes perfect sense, especially for single player games that most people move on from after they've played through once or twice, and for games that just end up not being what you were looking for.

Digital media also makes sense for people who prefer it. I think people should have the choice. Getting rid of the consumer choice was a very bad thing. I say "was" because it's basically already gone. GameStops and similar stores are closing en masse because used games are essentially a thing of the past.

The end result of this for me is that I'm not buying nearly as many games. Even five years ago, I could buy a new game for $60, and if I didn't like it or finished it quickly, I could get $40 trading it back to Gamestop and buy another game. I'm not going to regularly spend $60-$80 on something if I can't meaningfully verify its quality (and my enjoyment of it) first.

Games make way less sense as a digital-only form of media than music or movies.

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Well, if it made sense they wouldn't be getting rid of it. I feel completely opposite of what you do. I only play single player games and it makes no sense to have physical media for something I'm only ever going to play once. I play it and then uninstall it. I can always redownload the game if for some reason I want to play it again.

Agree it would be nice for consumers to have the choice, but the technology has made physical media for games pointless. And back to my earlier point the price and resale issue here is moot for anyone with patience. I haven't paid $60 or even full price for a game in maybe a decade. No reason to when you can just wait for a sale. Plus, game subs....they are one of the few subs that don't frustrate me because games are total throw away entertainment for me. And the ROI on the PS sub is absolutely consumer friendly.

And you are wrong in your last sentence when it comes to movies because of Blu-Ray. If you have a good home theater setup, then you can take advantage of sound codecs you won't hear or get via digital. But agree with you on music. Unless you are a collecting vinyl, it makes no sense to have physical music media anymore either.

My lone line in the sand on this topic for physical are books. I still buy physical books out the wazoo, but I value books more than any of these other mediums because they are inherently more important.

What's crazy, books have better resale value than video games. Unless you have an Atari or NES games from the late 70's and 80s. No one is unloading PS2 game disc for big money.

Why I haven't bought the new GTA game yet, waiting to see if there is a sell for the game around Christmas.

Xbox usually drops prices on games during that time. I bought RDR2 ultimate edition for 40 dollars in 2019.

Sony is already the worst digital game storefront. Complete lack of third party options (even Nintendo allows third party keys), terrible sales/pricing, and no meaningful refund policy. Not a chance they'll be more pro consumer when consumers have fewer options.

Fenrir said:

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Sony is already the worst digital game storefront. Complete lack of third party options (even Nintendo allows third party keys), terrible sales/pricing, and no meaningful refund policy. Not a chance they'll be more pro consumer when consumers have fewer options.

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No they aren't

What third party options for Nintendo? They just sell a Game Key Card which is nothing more than a code like what Sony is going to do in January 2028. You can still "buy" a game in a retail store just like you can for GTA6, it's just a code instead of a disc.

Nintendo's storefront is terrible in design, and they don't even allow you to buy legacy games since they hide them behind a subscription service only. They also are far more restrictive in terms of family sharing vs. Playstation.

The sales/pricing are the same for Steam as they are on Playstation and are set by the individual publishers. Sure, you could argue "key sites" allow you to go cheaper. Well the same is true for getting PSN cards for cheaper at Costco or Newegg. Recently you could get $100 for only $80. Nintendo games NEVER go on sale, while Sony first party games do have sales frequently throughout the year. And outside of Steam, there's no meaningful refund policy.

Every major platform holder has their own specific issues when it comes to the "consumer" and none are perfect.

AozorAg said:

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YouBet said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Sony going all in on digital

https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/

---

And I've purchased my last Playstation ever.

The sheer number of yall defending console makers anti-consumer practices suddenly has made it apparent why they feel they can get away with this.

---

Inevitable. Physical media for games makes no sense anymore.

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Games make way less sense as a digital-only form of media than music or movies.

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Music or Movies make more sense as a streaming option due to how high quality and instant streaming is for those mediums. Not the case for games, where streaming has issues (latency, stuttering, macroblocking, etc).

Games are perfectly suited for digital consumption. You download the game and it's ready to go. You can conveniently switch between games without getting up. You can pre-load your games before release.

If anything, what makes less sense is physical ownership for games. You have to go gold weeks in advance of launch, manufacture it on a disc, ship it to retailers, the retailers get their own middle man cut, and then you have to drive to the store of wait for it to arrive at some random time of the day. When it does finally arrive, you have to download the game anyways on your SSD and watch it get patched multiple times. Physical ownership in 2026 is a myth, and is nothing like what it was in the early 2000s.

It's massively inconvenient and the reason why 86% of the market is now purely digital on Playstation 5. This move was inevitable, and it's good that Sony is getting this announced in advance since they will have a Playstation 6 handheld and you certainly aren't going to be able to play Blu-Ray discs on that thing. It's going to benefit people from having digital so they can effortlessly use their digital library across console and handheld devices.

So yeah, I understand the nostalgia for physical media, but the writing has been on the wall for ages about this and now is the time to finally rip the bandaid off and progress rather than be stuck in the past.

You can buy digital keys for Nintendo games from third parties. You cannot do that with Sony. Not that hard to look it up. Sonys big defense for the monopoly charges they have faced over this issue have in part been pointing to options provided by physical game sales, which they are eliminating.

Game sharing. This is where I tread into unfamiliar waters. Who is actually doing this?

None of my five nephews and nieces are doing this. This feels like a millennial specific thing that subsequent generations aren't doing because they aren't going to carry around hardware because that's dumb.

YouBet said:

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Game sharing. This is where I tread into unfamiliar waters. Who is actually doing this?

None of my five nephews and nieces are doing this. This feels like a millennial specific thing that subsequent generations aren't doing because they aren't going to carry around hardware because that's dumb.

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One example is my son and his cousin game share pokemon games. Every pokemon game usually releases with 2 "versions" with minimal differences between them besides each one has version specific pokemon. They will each play their game, then swap with the other to get the pokemon they need from the other game and eliminates the need for buying 2 full priced games. Not Sony specific but it's still a thing.

I can't believe how many lol olds in this thread still want physical games. It feels like over a decade since I've even thought about needing a physical copy of a game. Just massively inconvenient.

Thunderstruck xx said:

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I can't believe how many lol olds in this thread

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I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to be alive when trading Nintendo cartridges was a thrilling but common part of life. And if you were super cool, you would provide a copy of Nintendo Power giving the tips/tricks for the game you were letting your friend borrow.

Those were the days...

Yes sir. I grew up in the Austin area and back in the day you had to drive into Austin to get to a store that sold video games. The 30 min car ride home was nothing but reading every word of the game box and manual.

By the time I got home, I was ready to rock.

I do miss the nostalgia of the old PC Master Race days with the manuals and maps and such. Just another example of putting the work in making you appreciate things more.

However, now that we are where we are I like the breadth of gaming available to us at historically low prices. I buy games for 99c to $2 now for God's sake. That's essentially free.

And with the trajectory of console gaming right now, it almost seems like PC gaming is going to be the stronger platform in the future. But we will see how AI demand continues to warp HW costs going forward though. Bit of a wildcard there. I'm just glad I replaced my desktop rig and got a new PS5 Pro when I did (right before AI demand skewed the market).

For us olds, did you ever open up a Nintendo cartridge and try to flip the game card over because you heard there was another game on the other side?

Hint: it didn't work.

jr15aggie said:

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Thunderstruck xx said:

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I can't believe how many lol olds in this thread

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I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to be alive when trading Nintendo cartridges was a thrilling but common part of life. And if you were super cool, you would provide a copy of Nintendo Power giving the tips/tricks for the game you were letting your friend borrow.

Those were the days...

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Oh I am also a lol old. I grew up with every game system since the original NES. I have some nostalgia for the older game cartridges, but I fail to see the point now.

Thunderstruck xx said:

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jr15aggie said:

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Thunderstruck xx said:

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I can't believe how many lol olds in this thread

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I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to be alive when trading Nintendo cartridges was a thrilling but common part of life. And if you were super cool, you would provide a copy of Nintendo Power giving the tips/tricks for the game you were letting your friend borrow.

Those were the days...

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Oh I am also a lol old. I grew up with every game system since the original NES. I have some nostalgia for the older game cartridges, but I fail to see the point now.

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I'm old enough to have Atari as my first. Played up through the various Atari generations, Intellivision, ColecoVision (my favorite of that era), Commodore 64 and 128, etc.

I'm a late 80's baby, so grew up with most of all the major consoles. My only concern with the digital world is future censorship on digital media. But, as I've already state, everything is available online. You can never truly delete a movie, show, song, or game from the world. There will always be a torrent available to download or an emulator that can play whatever you want. I have no problem paying for those things, but I reject the idea that I am renting the ability to play a game. If they ever remove my access from a game, I will simply pirate it.

Fenrir said:

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Sony is already the worst digital game storefront. Complete lack of third party options (even Nintendo allows third party keys), terrible sales/pricing, and no meaningful refund policy. Not a chance they'll be more pro consumer when consumers have fewer options.

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From earlier this week. Sony hasn't renewed some licensing thing with a company and is now deleting a ton of movies that people bought off the PS.

wangus12 said:

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Fenrir said:

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Sony is already the worst digital game storefront. Complete lack of third party options (even Nintendo allows third party keys), terrible sales/pricing, and no meaningful refund policy. Not a chance they'll be more pro consumer when consumers have fewer options.

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From earlier this week. Sony hasn't renewed some licensing thing with a company and is now deleting a ton of movies that people bought off the PS.

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That announcement has so much unintended irony.

"Play has no limits".... except for the limit on movies you previously purchased which are no longer yours.

I remember when I was fanatically opposed to digital media.... well my gaming habits have changed so radically that I have now fully embraced it and my whole PS5 library is digital.

I basically just set alerts to when games I want dip under 20 bucks and that's when I pounce. As an older guy now and a dad of two young kids my gaming time is so limited that I never really catch up on my backlog so it's not a big deal to wait a year or more for a AAA title to go on sale on the PS store. The biggest bonus is that I usually end up snagging a deluxe version with all DLC add ons as well at a steep discount. I'll pay full price every once in a while if I feel like supporting a developer doing something unique and creative, but in general I've become like a gaming time capsule lol.

For the PS6 I'm disappointed that it won't have a disc drive though simply because of the massive dvd/blu-ray collection I still have and the PS6 bailing on disc drives probably portends poorly for future support of disc players in general. I'm probably good for like 15-20 years, but eventually I bet it'll get hard to source a new blu ray player if my PS5 dies one day.

The gaming side of this is a nothing burger though. Hopefully they find a way to ship it with 4TB of on board memory though to account for how stupidly big game installs have gotten.

You can probably get a Blu-ray player for $50. I have two Sony players (plus my PS5). And I guess think my mothballed Xbox One plays Blu-ray as well from what I recall.

Just buy a player and store it.

Jesus what a sloppy whine contest this has turned into. I assume the "only physical media" soldiers don't use Spotify or Apple Music and still have a CD player in their cars instead

Physical media is one of the fun arguments where the minority of people who support it are loud, but the people who don't end up being equally as loud complaining about those people when it gets brought up.

Aggie71013 said:

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Physical media is one of the fun arguments where the minority of people who support it are loud, but the people who don't end up being equally as loud complaining about those people when it gets brought up.

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Yeah.

There's people that don't care about convenience and just care about collecting clutter. To each their own. But the ones that horde physical stuff are super passionate about it and are incredibly vocal.

Meanwhile everyone else has moved on to the present time rather than clutching to the past

I don't know why they are so upset because you will still be able to buy a physical case with a digital code. Isn't that what they care about anyways?

When they put their disc in the drive, all it does is copy the data over to the SSD and you basically end up re-downloading everything to the latest patch anyways....there truly is no "physical" thing anymore. It is all controlled digitally.

So, I really don't get it.